Ban for owner of ex-racehorse so thin 'every bone in his body' could be seen

A woman has been banned from keeping horses for 10 years after she admitted riding an ex-racehorse that was so thin that 'every bone in his body' could be seen.

The RSPCA was made aware of the 10-year-old thoroughbred former racehorse called Thor, kept at stables in Hyperion Road, Stourton, near Stourbridge, after images of him looking underweight were posted on social media.

His owner Charlotte McPherson was disqualified from keeping horses when she appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court.

A vet examination of Thor, whose racing name was Hoare Abbey, showed that the cause of his weight loss was because of inadequate condition and a high worm egg count, as he had not been wormed properly.

He looks like a totally different horse after being rehomed, while his former owner has been banned from keeping horses for a decade

RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith, who investigated, said: "Thor looked incredibly thin and you could see pretty much every bone in his body.It was obvious to anyone who saw him that he was not well. A vet examined Thor and gave him a body condition of zero out of five - he was that thin.

"While in this body condition, McPherson rode him twice a week, including at a fun ride in Bissell Wood, Blakedown, in March this year, where his condition was noticed by people at the event.

"Not only was he thin, but he had a sore on his spine which was directly underneath the saddle.

"Thor would have been in a lot of pain while he was being ridden."

"It was a slow progress to get him on the road to recovery but he has done amazingly well and he has now been rehomed.

"He is loving his new life and when he trots across a field, you would find it hard to believe what he was like earlier this year."

McPherson, aged 22, was sentenced for two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to the horse by failing to investigate and treat the cause of his poor body condition, and failing to take steps to ensure that the needs of the animal were met, by failing to protect him from pain, suffering, injury and disease by riding him when he was not in a fit state to be ridden.

McPherson, from Park Lane, Kidderminster, was given a10-year disqualification order, a 12-month community order, 160 hours of unpaid work and an order to pay £300 costs and a £60 victim surcharge at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

She pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing in August this year.